Systematic Process for Creating Large Numbers of Relevant, Contextual Marginal Comments Based On Existing Discussions Of Quotations and Links

ABSTRACT

A system for searching digital works for comments includes search software capable of searching web pages for comments about a referenced work. In one embodiment, the software searches a web page for delimiters such as quotes that are in proximity to a link to another web page. The software stores any comments in proximity to the quoted content for use in a comment display system where it may be displayed as comment marginalia.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present teachings relate generally to the collecting and displayingof comments in reference to digital media and, more particularly, tosearching digital media for existing comments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The ability to display comments alongside digital media applies todigital works such as web pages, although not limited thereto. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 7,801,951, assigned to Reframe-It, Inc.,incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses such systemsand methods. These systems and methods are discussed below withreference to the disclosed systems and methods for searching digitalworks for existing comments.

In one embodiment, a user may visit a web page and a web browser willopen a window on one side of the computer screen focused on the webpage. On the other side of the screen, another window may be opened fordisplaying textual, video and audio comments created by users that referto the web page, although not limited thereto. The two windows can becoordinated such that when a user scrolls down in the web page window,the comment window will scroll to a corresponding degree so that theyremain in sync.

Such a system provides the ability for users to enter comments in thecomment window, which may be in reference to a particular point on theweb page. User comments may be stored in a database accessible over anetwork. In such a way, as a user navigates web pages, availablecomments for those web pages will always be displayed alongside the webpage content.

However, there already exists a large number of comments for web pageswhich are publicly available on networks such as the Internet. Althoughpublicly available, these comments are not necessarily available tousers of the comment system because they were not entered through thesystem's interface. In addition, these comments are spread throughout anetwork (e.g., Internet), such that it would be impractical to inputthem into the system manually. Therefore, it would be beneficial to havea superior system and method for creating large numbers of relevant,contextual marginal comments based on existing discussions of quotationsand links.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The needs set forth herein as well as further and other needs andadvantages are addressed by the present embodiments, which illustratesolutions and advantages described below.

The system of the present embodiment includes, but is not limited to, aserver, a database in electronic communication with the server, quotesearch software executing on a computer readable medium for searchingthe plurality of digital works for quotes (Q) which are in proximity toa reference to another digital work (L), identification softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for identifying content inproximity to a quote Q, referred to as (BA), reference search softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for searching the another workreferenced by L for the corresponding quote Q in order to determine areference point in the work, referred to as (R), and storage softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for storing at least one of Q,L, BA and R in the database. The quote search software searches forquotes by searching for some delimiter and searches the plurality ofdigital works over a network.

In one embodiment, the system may further comprise non-reference quotesearch software executing on a computer readable medium for searchingthe plurality of digital works for quotes (Q′) which are not inproximity to a reference to another digital work, non-reference worksearch software executing on a computer readable medium for searchingfor quotes Q′ in proximity to one or more reference points R,non-reference identification software executing on a computer readablemedium for identifying content in proximity to quotes Q′, referred to as(BA′), and non-reference storage software executing on a computerreadable medium for storing at least one of Q′, L, BA′ and R in thedatabase. The non-reference quote search software searches for quotes bysearching for some delimiter and searches the plurality of digital worksover a network.

The method of the present embodiment includes, but is not limited to,the steps of providing a server, providing a database in electroniccommunication with the server, quote searching, on a computer, theplurality of digital works for quotes (Q) which are in proximity to areference to another digital work (L), identifying, on a computer,content in proximity to a quote Q, referred to as (BA), referencesearching, on a computer, the another work referenced by L for thecorresponding quote Q in order to determine a reference point in thework, referred to as (R), and storing at least one of Q, L, BA and R inthe database. The step of quote searching comprises searching for somedelimiter and searching the plurality of digital works over a network.

In one embodiment, the method may also comprise the steps ofnon-reference quote searching, on a computer, the plurality of digitalworks for quotes (Q′) which are not in proximity to a reference toanother digital work, non-reference work searching, on a computer, forquotes Q′ in proximity to one or more reference points R, non-referenceidentifying, on a computer, content in proximity to quotes Q′, referredto as (BA′), and storing at least one of Q′, L, BA′ and R in thedatabase. The step of non-reference quote searching comprises searchingfor some delimiter and searching the plurality of digital works over anetwork.

In another embodiment, the system comprises, but is not limited to, aserver, a comment database, a comment display application having agraphical user interface for displaying comments in relation to a webpage, quote search software executing on a computer readable medium forsearching a plurality of web pages for quotes (Q) which are in proximityto a reference to another digital work (L), identification softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for identifying content inproximity to a quote Q, referred to as (BA), reference search softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for searching the another workreferenced by L for the corresponding quote Q in order to determine areference point in the work, referred to as (R), and storage softwareexecuting on a computer readable medium for storing at least one of Q,L, BA and R in the comment database. The quote search software searchesfor quotes by searching for a quote character and searches the pluralityof web pages over the Internet. The comment display application displaysa stored comment BA in reference to a digital work L.

In still another embodiment, the system comprises, but is not limitedto, a server, a database in electronic communication with the server,reference search software executing on a computer readable medium forsearching the plurality of digital works for references to anotherdigital work (L), identification software executing on a computerreadable medium for identifying content in proximity to a reference L,referred to as (A), content parsing software executing on a computerreadable medium for parsing content A for identifiable elements (E),work parsing software executing on a computer readable medium forparsing referenced work L for identifiable elements (E′), comparisonsoftware executing on a computer readable medium for comparing elementsE and E′ in order to determine a reference point in referenced work L,referred to as (R), and storage software executing on a computerreadable medium for storing at least one of A, L, and R in the database.The reference search software searches the plurality of digital worksover a network.

Other embodiments of the system and method are described in detail belowand are also part of the present teachings.

For a better understanding of the present embodiments, together withother and further aspects thereof, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings and detailed description, and its scope will be pointed out inthe appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a known commentsystem;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the comment searchsystem according to the present teachings;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the software in FIG.2 having various components for searching for comments according to afirst method;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the software inFIG. 2 having various components for searching for comments according toa second method; and

FIG. 5 is a screen shot depicting one embodiment of the graphical userinterface of the application of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present teachings are described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the present embodimentsare shown. The following description is presented for illustrativepurposes only and the present teachings should not be limited to theseembodiments. Any computer configuration and architecture satisfying thespeed and interface requirements herein described may be suitable forimplementing the system and method of the present embodiments.

The systems and methods of U.S. Pat. No. 7,801,951, assigned toReframe-It, Inc. and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,allow users to comment on the content (e.g., text, images, video,sounds, etc.) of any digital media (e.g., web page, etc.) without thepermission of the digital media owner. In such a way, the system has theability to transform the nature of the publicly-available informationsuch as that found on the Internet by creating a “virtual margin”alongside any web page. In this virtual margin users can post commentsto be shared with other users and read what others have written. Insteadof being moderated/censored by the web site owner, the crowd of usersmay self-regulate itself with the use of a ratings system.

Such a system is easy, accessible and empowering because it enablesin-stream-of-thought commenting. This may be useful for communities ofpeople who interact around particular web content. In addition, it maybe the ideal tool for internal communications within communities andmovements whose boundaries are vague, varied and constantly shiftingbecause it accommodates disparate levels of engagement. It may beparticularly well-suited for small ad-hoc communities networking aroundthe task of interpreting a paragraph, for example. As a result, thecomment system is not limited to the internet or to web pages. Users maytime-shift their community engagement so that it naturally flows aroundefficient moments of maximal shared interest—the moments when communitymembers are looking at the same sentence and reacting to it.

With prior systems, to discuss a specific idea or excerpt from a webpage, one would typically email the URL, attempt to identify thelocation of the point of interest in the web page, and then explain itsinterest. However, the recipient often misinterprets what the senderfound important because the commentary within the email is out of thecontext of the specific reference point.

The comment system is a versatile technology that can also create asecure private space in which employees of a corporation or members ofan organization can privately discuss external websites of sharedconcern. Accordingly, it is a tool that businesses can use for internalcommunications alongside the public web, that associations can use todeepen community engagement, and a technology that consumers can benefitfrom and enjoy.

For example, the comment system may offer the public a space alongsideweb pages where the content can be challenged and discussed withoutobstruction from the content owner. This allows people with relevantexpertise to confirm good information and challenge information that isinaccurate, misleading and deceptive, so that the broader community willnot unwittingly fall victim to it. This provides a level of transparencywithout censorship. As both a technology and as a community, such asystem seeks to become the “transparency engine for the web.”

As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,801,951, the comment system may beimplemented using a software application such as a browser extension,although not limited thereto. In this way, a user may visit a web pageand the web browser may open a browser window focused on the web page onone side of the screen. On the other side of the screen, another browserwindow (or some other “window” provided by software) may be opened fordisplaying “comments.” This second window may be its own full browserwindow, or it may be a part of a single browser window that appears tousers to act like a second browser window in one or more capacities,although not limited thereto.

This second window (also referred to as “comment window”) may becoordinated with the first window such that textual, video, audio, etc.comments which refer to the web page will be displayed in the secondwindow. The two windows may also be coordinated such that when a userscrolls down on the web page window, the comment window will scroll to acorresponding degree so that they remain in sync.

Referring to FIG. 1, shown is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of aknown comment system 10. The system 10 may provide information viewablein a web browser according to the present teachings, although notlimited thereto. The system 10 may operate through a communicationnetwork 11, and comprise a server 12, data storage 13 and 14, and aplurality of user computers 15, 15 n, although not limited thereto. Thesystem 10 may be advantageously employed using communication networks 11of various sizes, including a network as large as the Internet and assmall as a local network in a home or business, although not limitedthereto.

In one embodiment, each user computer 15, 15 n may include a webbrowsing program (e.g., web browser, etc.), shown as reference numerals16 and 16 n. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the artthat systems according to the present teachings do not require that eachuser of the system 10 utilize the same web browser, but that differentusers can utilize different web browsers and the present teachings arenot limited to any particular web browser.

User computers 15, 15 n may communicate with the server 12 via thenetwork 11. Such communication is shown by arrows 18, 19, 20, 21. Eachuser computer 15, 15 n may include an application 25, 25 n executingthereon as part of the system 10, which processes user comments inputinto the system 10, retrieves comments stores therein, and facilitatesthe display of the comments on the user's computer 15, 15 n. Suchapplications 25, 25 n may include web browser “plugins” which may runindependently of the web browser. In another embodiment, applications25, 25 n may be independent of any browser and the present teachings arenot limited to any particular embodiment disclosed herein.

A user of the system 10 may register and install the relevantapplication 25, 25 n on his/her computer 15, 15 n. The user may then loginto the system 10 and the application 25, 25 n may run simultaneouslyand in conjunction with the web browser 16, 16 n. The user may view afirst web page 23, 23 n which is downloaded by the web browser 16, 16 nfrom a third party server (not shown) located somewhere on thecommunication network 11. The first web page 23, 23 n may then bedisplayed by the web browser 16, 16 n.

Upon viewing the web page 23, 23 n, the user may notice a portion oftext, a picture, or other content that piques his/her interest. In oneembodiment, the user may highlight the portion of the web page 16, 16 nthat is of interest, using the mouse, keyboard, or other suitable inputperipheral. The highlighted portion of the web page 16, 16 n may becomea reference point, which may be recorded by the user's application 25,25 n. The user may then enter a comment. A comment may include textualinformation from the clipboard or entered through a keyboard, audiofiles, video files, and the like, or any combination thereof. Arrows 22,22 n indicate comment information being input by the user. The user may“surf” the web to the next web page 24, 24 n and be provided commentsfor that page and the ability to enter comments in a similar fashion.

As described above, the system 10 provides a unique and powerful way tostore and display comments relating to a web page 16, 16 n. However,there already exists on the Internet, for example, an incredible amountof comments that are not accounted for by the system 10. Therefore, itwould be desirable to search for these comments and add them to thesystem 10 such that they can be displayed to users. Having commentsalready in place when a new system is deployed (e.g., before systemusers add them) enables the system to immediately grab the interest ofthe new users, since users will already have access to relevant commentsfor web pages 16, 16 n the user may be visiting.

Referring to FIG. 2, shown is a schematic diagram of one embodiment ofthe comment search system according to the present teachings. As shown,a server 52 having search software 54 may access digital works such asweb pages 50 over a network 11 such as the Internet, although notlimited thereto. The search software 54 may search the web pages 50 forquotes to other web pages, which the search software 54 may store in thecomment database 13 for use in the system 10 shown in FIG. 1. The searchsoftware 54 may comprise one or more distinct software applications orcomponents, as described in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4,below.

Referring to FIG. 3, shown is a schematic diagram of one embodiment ofthe software 54′ in FIG. 2 having various components for searching forcomments according to a first method. Each of the various components100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114 are described by theirfunctionality, which may be provided in software independently of eachother or aggregated into a single application. First, a search may beconducted for all digital works (e.g., web pages, etc.) that have somedelimiter indicating a quotation and that are in proximity to areference to another work 100. For example, although not limitedthereto, the delimiter may be quote characters (or indentations,parentheses, or some other set of characters) and in one embodiment thereference may be web link, although not limited thereto. In such a way,the system may search the Internet for every pair of quotation marksthat are within some number of words (e.g., 20 words, etc.) or somedistance (e.g., 100 characters, etc.) of a link to another web page,although not limited thereto. Such a search will likely find commentsabout the web page, which may be incorporated into the comment system 10shown in FIG. 1.

The set of all quoted content (which may also include video, pictures orany other medium) in proximity to a reference may be referred to as “Q”and each individual quote may be referred to as Q1, Q2, etc. Thereferences may be referred to as “L” and each individual reference(e.g., link, etc.) may be referred to as L1, L2, etc. In such a way,each Q may have a corresponding L. In one embodiment, although notlimited thereto, the search for references may include not only directlinks, but also links addressed in footnotes, etc., which can befollowed to the referenced work.

Next, the system may identify the content surrounding each quote Q1, Q2,etc. 102. This text is typically the text that “comments” on, orotherwise discusses the work being referred to with reference L1, L2,etc. For example, although not limited thereto, thirty words before andafter every quote Q1, Q2, etc. may be identified. It is to beappreciated that any number of words before and after the quote may beidentified (e.g., 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc.) as one skilled in theart would appreciate and the present teachings are not limited to thisparticular embodiment. In one embodiment, this identification may roundto the nearest sentence so that whole sentences are identified. Thiscontent may be referred to as Before and After (BA), and each Q1, Q2,etc. may have a reference L1, L2, etc. and associated content BA1, BA2,etc.

Next, each referenced work (e.g., “other” work referenced by L1, L2,etc.) may be searched for the quoted language Q1, Q2, etc. 104. Thisfinds a specific reference point in the work, which may be referred toas “R”, so that the comment can be tied to a particular position in thereferenced work (e.g., position on a web page, etc.).

Next, each Q, L, BA and R that were found may be stored 106. Informationis typically stored in the comment database 13 (shown in FIG. 2). Inthis way, for example, BA1 may be associated with the work L1 atposition R1. When a user utilizing the system 10 shown in FIG. 1 goes tothe web page referenced by L1, comment BA1 may be provided as a marginalcomment at position R1 within that web page. The search method may thenbe repeated such that all quotes on the Internet that refer to a webpage can be linked to the web page automatically and within the boundsof fair use.

The preceding method of searching for comments is directed to workshaving a quote Q in proximity to a reference L. However, it is alsopossible to search all other quotes (e.g., those not in proximity to areference to another work) in order to tie them to a referenced work. Inone embodiment, although not limited thereto, it may be preferable tofirst search for all quotes, regardless of the presence of a delimiterand then perform the various steps 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112,114 based upon whether the quote is in proximity to a delimiter. Inanother embodiment only one set of functionality (e.g., 100, 102, 104,106 or 108, 110, 112, 114) may be performed, although not limitedthereto.

A search may be performed for all delimiters (e.g., quote character(s),etc.) that are not in proximity to a reference 108. These quotes may bereferred to as Q′ and each individual quote may be referred to as Q′1,Q′2, etc. For example, Q′ may identify all quotes not within twentywords of a reference. It is to be appreciated that any number of wordsmay be used (e.g, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc.) as one skilled in theart would appreciate and the present teachings are not limited to thisparticular embodiment. In one embodiment, the reference points Rdetermined by software 104 may be used to look for the quoted languageQ′1, Q′2, etc. found by software 108. It may be preferable to search inproximity to reference points R because these are already known to thesystem and, because they are also known to be quoted by quotes Q, alsohave a higher probability of being quoted by quotes Q′.

A search of content in proximity to the reference points (R) for quotesQ′1, Q′2, etc. may be performed 110. For example, the system may searchwithin fifty words of each reference point R, although not limitedthereto. If the quoted information (e.g., text, picture, video, sound,etc.) is found in the reference, content in proximity to the quote Q′1,Q′2, etc. may be identified 112. This identified content may be referredto as BA′, such that each quote Q′1, Q′2, etc. may have a referencepoint R and before and after identified content BA′1, BA′2, etc. Thisinformation may be stored 114 in the comment database 13 (shown in FIG.2). In this way, by comparing the quoted content (may be limited toquotes more than ten words long, etc.) it is possible to link theinterpretation and discussion that surrounds these previously un-locatedquotes to the referenced works R which were previously found.

Referring to FIG. 4, shown is a schematic diagram of another embodimentof the software 54″ in FIG. 2 having various components for searchingfor comments according to a second method. Each of the variouscomponents 200, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 are described by theirfunctionality, which may be provided in software independently of eachother or aggregated into a single application. First, all digital works(e.g., web pages, etc.) may be searched for a reference to another work200. For example, although not limited thereto, the reference may be aweb link, although not limited thereto. In such a way, the system maysearch the Internet for every web page having a link to another webpage, although not limited thereto. The references may be referred to as“L” and each individual link/reference may be referred to as L1, L2,etc.

Next, content within a predetermined proximity to each reference may beidentified (e.g., one sentence before and after each link, etc.) 202.This content likely discusses the link and is relevant commentary forthe comment system 10 shown in FIG. 1. This content may be referred toas extract “A” and each link L1, L2, etc. may have a correspondingextract A1, A2, etc.

Next, each extract A1, A2, etc. may be parsed for identifiable elements204. In one embodiment, although not limited thereto, natural languageprocessing (NLP) technology may be used. NLP is known in the art and mayhelp to identify entities, facts and events within the content, althoughnot limited thereto. These identified elements (e.g., entities, facts,events, etc.) may be referred to as the content's meta-data. Theidentifiable elements may be referred to as “E” and each extract A mayhave a number of elements E1, E2, etc.

A number of NLP technologies are known on the market and may beincorporated into the systems and methods disclosed herein. One suchtechnology is called Open Callais, which provides a web serviceinterface. Information regarding the Open Callais technology isavailable on the website www.opencalais.com. The Open Calais servicecreates semantic metadata for submitted content. Using NLP, machinelearning and other methods, Open Calais analyzes text and finds theentities, facts and events within it. Tags are automatically produced sothat they can be incorporated into other applications, such as thepresent systems and methods.

In one embodiment, although not limited thereto, the present teachingsmay utilize Open Callais to parse each extract A for identifiableelements E1, E2, etc. 204. The “other” work referenced by reference L1,L2, etc. may similarly be parsed to identify elements 206. Theidentifiable elements in the other work may be referred to as “E′” andeach other work may have a number of elements E1′, E2′, etc. Theidentifiable extracts E1, E2, etc. and E1′, E2′, etc. may then becompared to find matches 208. By comparing the elements in this way itis possible to identify reference points in the work which the extract Arefers to. For example, matching element E to E′ indicates that thequoted extract is likely from the same point in the work as E′.

Although the use of parsing technology such as NLP provides an efficientsearch/comparison method, a comparison of phrases, sentences, etc. mayalso be utilized. In one embodiment, the referenced work may be dividedup, parsed in sections, and the elements of each parsed section may becompared to the elements from the extract separately. Each referencepoint found through the search/comparison may be referred to as “R” andeach extract A may have one or more reference points R1, R2, etc. Theextract A1, A2, etc., link L1, L2, etc., and reference point R1, R2,etc. may then be stored 210 in the comment database 13 shown in FIG. 2,although not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 5, shown is a screen shot depicting one embodiment ofthe graphical user interface of the application 25, 25 n of FIG. 1. Asshown, a browser sidebar 302 may display comment threads that annotatespecific page elements on a web page 300. The sidebar 302 may provide aclear overview (or “map”) of the comments available for a given web page300 while maintaining a strict spatial relationship between comments andthe web page elements that are being referenced.

As shown, the comments may be placed at the particular reference points304 on the web page 300. In this way, the sidebar 302 may displaycomments proportionally to their location on the full length of a webpage 300. In one embodiment the web page elements may be highlightedwhen related comments are selected. In another embodiment, the sidebarmay contain an indicator of the current vertical length of the browserview proportional to the full length of the web page. In still anotherembodiment the indicator may track and follow scroll inputs on thebrowser.

Comment threads that annotate a web page may also be represented bystubs (or markers) inside a browser sidebar, although not limitedthereto. Selecting a stub may display the entirety of a comment threadand allow movement between a page summary and details of a particularcomment thread. In one embodiment, comment threads may be verticallypositioned in the sidebar proportional to their location on a web page.In another embodiment, comment threads may be opened and closed todisplay the primary comment or complete comment thread. In yet anotherembodiment, comment threads may represent the original comments and allreplies made to a comment may be displayed in descending order of timeposted. In still another embodiment, comment threads may be activatedand opened upon mouse-over. In a further embodiment, the commentthreads, when activated, may cause the page to scroll to the referencetext.

Selecting page elements inside a web browser may invoke an annotatedcomment tool inside the sidebar. In this way, selected text may appearinside the sidebar with a text box for adding comment text, although notlimited thereto. In one embodiment, selecting text immediately andautomatically invokes an “add comments” tool inside the sidebar. Inanother embodiment, the comment tool may display a copy of all textselected on the main web page.

A two-column interface may display a bifurcated web page where each pagecolumn contains a distinct set of information about a system of metadata and content, although not limited thereto. The information in acolumn may be displayed according to the last system object selected inthe opposing column. System objects, which may include groups, users,location tags, or any other piece of metadata, may be part of relationalnetwork of metadata on a system. In one embodiment, the informationdisplayed in a column of a bifurcated web page may be directlyrelational to the last selection made in the other column. In anotherembodiment, the information in a column may contain links to systemobjects comprising both meta data and content, although not limitedthereto. In yet another embodiment, the information in a column maychange when a selection is made in the other column. In still anotherembodiment, the new column of displayed information may contain systemobjects directly correlated to the last selection. In a furtherembodiment, the left and right columns may load dynamically without pagerefreshes.

It may also be possible to share user comments according to anycommunication method including email, social media, etc. For example,the user may enter an email address into the address box and press enterto add it to the comment share list. An address book may also save emailaddresses for future use. Typing into the address box may also searchcontacts and recommend matching emails. It is also possible to useFacebook to post comments on another's wall, although not limitedthereto. In this way, it is possible to automatically post your publiccomments to your Facebook feed so friends will see comments. Commentsmay appear in both friends' news feed, as well as on the user's Facebookwall. A user may also post public comments to a Twitter feed sofollowers will see comments. In fact, any method of communication may beused with the current system, including Blogger blog, FriendFeed, RSSfeeds, etc., and the present teaching are not limited to any particularembodiment disclosed herein.

As described herein, the systems and methods may be used to determinemarginalia for quotes (e.g., references, etc.) of known works. Althoughexemplary embodiments of various content sizes are disclosed, thepresent teachings are not limited to any particular embodiment. Forexample, content within 5 words, 20 words, 100 words, 200 words, 1 page,5 pages, 1 paragraph, 10 paragraphs, etc., whether before or after aquote, may be used as marginalia after the quote has been identified.Similarly, content of any size may be searched within a reference toanother work. One skilled in the art would appreciate that any contentsizes may be used with the present teachings.

In addition, once a quote to a work is identified (e.g., a passage fromRomeo and Juliet, etc.) and marginalia is determined, that marginaliamay be applied to any work using (or referring) to that quote. This way,the marginalia is not limited the work where it originates, but can beapplied to any number of other works automatically, although not limitedthereto. The system need only identify the quoted passage in a work andthen apply the determined marginalia to that work.

While the present teachings have been described above in terms ofspecific embodiments, it is to be understood that they are not limitedto these disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and other embodimentswill come to mind to those skilled in the art to which this pertains,and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure andthe appended claims. It is intended that the scope of the presentteachings should be determined by proper interpretation and constructionof the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood bythose of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in thisspecification and the attached drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for searching a plurality of digitalworks for comments, comprising: a server; a storage in electroniccommunication with the server; software searching, on a computer, theplurality of digital works for a reference to a first digital work;software identifying, on a computer, a first comment in proximity to thereference; software associating the first comment and the first digitalwork in the storage; software searching, on a computer, the plurality ofdigital works for a reference delimiter not in proximity to a referenceto another digital work; software identifying, on a computer, a secondcomment in proximity to the reference delimiter; software searching, ona computer, the plurality of digital works for a second digital workreferenced by the second comment; and software associating the secondcomment and the second digital work in the storage; wherein theplurality of digital works are searched over a network.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the reference comprises a footnote or endnote.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the reference comprises a paragraph reference.4. The system of claim 1 wherein the reference comprises a web link. 5.The system of claim 1 further comprising software identifying, on acomputer, a reference point in the first digital work referenced by thefirst comment; and software associating the first comment and thereference point in the storage.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein thesoftware identifying a reference point comprises: content parsingsoftware parsing the first comment for a first set of elements; workparsing software parsing the first digital work for a second set ofelements; comparison software comparing the first and second sets ofelements to determine the reference point.
 7. The system of claim 1wherein the software searching for a reference delimiter searchesdigital works associated in the storage.
 8. The system of claim 1wherein the reference delimiter comprises a quote character.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the software searching for a referencesearches within a predetermined proximity to a second referencedelimiter.
 10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a commentdisplay system; wherein the first comment is displayed with the firstdigital work.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the comment displaysystem is adapted to allow a user to share comments with other users.12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a comment display systemadapted to allow a user to identify text in a digital work and add acomment associated with the text; wherein the comment is associated withthe digital work in the storage.
 13. The system of claim 1 wherein thenetwork is the Internet.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the softwarecomprises two or more distinct software applications.
 15. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the software executes on the server.
 16. A system forsearching a plurality of web pages for comments, comprising: a server; astorage in electronic communication with the server; software searching,on a computer, the plurality of web pages for a web link to first webpage within a predetermined proximity to a first reference delimiter;software identifying, on a computer, a first comment in proximity to theweb link; and software associating the first comment and the first webpage in the storage; wherein the plurality of web pages are searchedover a network.
 17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a commentdisplay system; wherein the first comment is displayed with the firstweb page.
 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the comment display systemis adapted to allow a user to view the web page where the first commentwas identified.
 19. The system of claim 16 further comprising softwareidentifying, on a computer, a reference point in the first web pagereferenced by the first comment; and software associating the firstcomment and the reference point in the storage.
 20. The system of claim19 wherein the software identifying a reference point comprises: contentparsing software parsing the first comment for a first set ofidentifiable elements; work parsing software parsing the first web pagefor a second set of identifiable elements; comparison software comparingthe first and second sets of identifiable elements to determine thereference point.
 21. A system for searching a plurality of web pages forcomments, comprising: a server; a storage in electronic communicationwith the server; software searching, on a computer, the plurality of webpages for a reference delimiter not in proximity to a web link toanother web page; software identifying, on a computer, a first commentin proximity to the reference delimiter; software searching, on acomputer, the plurality of web pages for a first web page referenced bythe first comment; and software associating the first comment and thefirst web page in the storage; wherein the plurality of web pages aresearched over a network.
 22. The system of claim 21 further comprising acomment display system; wherein the first comment is displayed with thefirst web page.